1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an internal combustion engine having an engine block for a plurality of cylinders and which has hollow vertical reinforcements of the side walls of the engine block in the area of the main bearing planes, at least a part of the vertical reinforcements being implemented as oil recirculation passages between cylinder head and engine block.
2. The Prior Art
The publications DE 43 24 609 C2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,786 B2 disclose crankcases having hollow vertical reinforcements which function as oil recirculation channels between cylinder head and crankcase. The hollow reinforcements are connected to one another by a longitudinal channel.
In reciprocating piston internal combustion engines, because of the high pressures and the back-and-forth movement of the pistons, combustion gases enter the crankcase via the piston rings. These combustion gases, also referred to as “blow by”, increase the pressure in the crankcase, damage the lubricant oil, and make sealing the crankcase more difficult. The crankcase must therefore be ventilated. This is typically achieved by providing a connection is provided in the form of a ventilation line between the crankcase and the intake system of the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine. Therefore, no pollutants reach the environment. In order to keep the lubricant oil which is contained in the crankcase gases in finely distributed form and out of the intake system of the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine, oil separators are used, preferably having filters, via which the crankcase gases are conducted before they reach the intake system of the reciprocating piston internal combustion engine. Oil separators of this type are connected via a blow-by line to the crankcase. The configuration of the removal point for the blow-by line in the crankcase decisively influences the quantity of the entrained oil components.
The object of the invention is to allow a simple removal of the blow-by gases with the least possible oil component.